Start and stop mechanism for graphophones.



T. H. M!GDONALD;l START AND STOP MEGANISM FOR GRAPHOPHONES.

APPLICATION FILED DEU. 14,1908.

v Patented Sept 21, 1909.

A N NN Y sie ofthe same, viewed from the right in Fig; 1.;

- To all' whom 'it may concern:

' (Be it known that I, THOMAS UNITED 'STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS HQMACDONALD, or BRIDenPoRT, 'cNNEcTIe'UT, assIGNon To AMERICAN.emunioPHONE coMPANY, or BBIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION or WESTVIRGINIA.

START AND STOP MECHNISM FDR GRAPHOPHONES.

Application led December 14, 1908. Serial No. 467,510.

ALD, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident ofBridgeport, Fairield county, Connecticut, -have invented a new anduseful Improvement -inStart and Stop Mechanism for Graphophones,which-improvenient lis fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates tographophones or other talking-machines,especially of the construction intendedfto operate interchangeably forrecording andyreproduc'ing.- In

these machines there is provided a feedscrew whose thread has one sidevertical and theother` at an angle to t-he .axis of xthe screw-shaft,and a similarly-threaded partial mit. normally engawing therewjth to.propel the carriage 'longiudinally of therecord; the startand-stopmechanism-i has means for disengaging the nut from the screw, 'and forcausing the two to mesh together again. In

order. to permit the nut to have sufficient play to permit the meshing,`a ,certain looseness off-mounting sometimesoc'curs, there is also aback-lash? between the'threads'of the nut and those of the screw,besidesrattling and other objections that will be appreciated by thosefamiliar with the use ofV such machines.

'Theobject of this invention is to provide means -for preventing thisback-lash, rattling, etc. without interfering withthe eIi- Preferablythis is' ciency of the machine. accomplished by providing means that,while theAv feed-nut is being broughtinto engagementgwith thefeed-screw, will force the.

nut sidewise to the limit of its play and into )roper mesh, in order 'toprevent the back-lash, and that will hold it there against rattle and,in combination with this, other means for restoring ythe nut to itsformer position when disengaged fronithe screw.

The .invention will be best understood by. lreferringtothe annexeddrawings that illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof.

vIn. these drawings, Figure l is an yend ele-.-

v ation, partlyV in 'vertical section, of' a graphophone showing' my,invention; Fig.- 2 is apartly broken away rear viewl of a part Fig.' 3is" a.'vertical section of a detail; and

. l l H. MACDON- feed-screw 8. Surrounding this feed-screw the usualsplit-sleeve 9 consisting of .a tubular casing having in its bottoni alongitudinal slot to give access to the feed-screw. The carriage hassleeve 1() encircling 'and slidingl upon the split-sleeve f). Therecorder or the reproducer or the combined recorder and reproducer) willbe connected to this carriage' in any approved manner. cured tothebottoni of the carriage and sleeve l() isf'the depending Y-shapedguidein'ember 1l. whose lower end straddles the lowerl guide-rod T.Located within the upper forli of this Y is the partial nut 12 .that isnorinall)y forced upward by springactuated plunger 13 to enter thelongitudinal is forced upward by its plunger so as to l5 is shifted inthe vertical position (at 19 .the nut down against its spring, therebydisengaging the nut from the feed-screw.. as seen 1n Fig. 3': and whenthe banal; is forced still farther back (into the position indicated at:20 in Fig. 1),'the nut l2 becomes p again engaged with the feed-screwS. All the construction so far described is old.be.

ing illustrated,- for instance, lin my U., S.l Letters-Patent 'No.5569,290, dated Oct. 13,

' According to-iny present invention, I provide -ne'ar the upper end ofone of vthe forks the lower horizontal guide-rod 7 and theA engage thefeed-screw 8; when lthe handle in Fig. 1), the cam nose '1S on the. ringforces of the'Y-shaped guide-member 11,. a holeA parallelto thefeed-screw. Located in this l'holevis a plunger 21 adapted toimpiiige'upon Specification of Letters Patent.` Patented Sept. 21,`1909.,y

lslot in the split-sleeve so as to engage-the'.

In the position shown in Fig.` 1 the nut 12 the adjacent face ofthe nut12: in the Eouter end'ofthis hole 'isthreaded the screw and between thescrew and the plunger is the coil-spring lf pon vthe side of thecam-nose 1S ofthe camring is the .cani-lug `or boss 2l'.

when thehandlel is brought into vertical"` positiointo disei'igagetliefeed-nut, this-boss j der to avoid vany back-'lash and prevent rat-Tlie' `parts are so arranged -that 2l enters the'slot iii the nut (asseen in Fig.

3) and forces thel nut 12 sidewise agaiiist diagonal movement `tothefeed-nut. HavingV thus describedniy invention, I-

the plunger and spring (21 and 23); and wheny the handle is movedtopermit meshing .ofthe nut and feed-screw, this boss 2l clears thetransverse slot and/permits plunger 21 to force the nut to the extren'ieright (as seen in Fig. 2).

Then-the. -handle 15 is thrown into vertilcalwposition it depre:-ses.the niit- 12 and disengages it from the feed-'screw and at the same timethe nut is being forced against the plunge-r 21 as seen in Fig. 3) whenthe ,as seen in Fig.

handle issliifted intoA the position shownin Fig. 1 (or in the positionat 20 in the same figure) the4 plunger 134 forces the nut upward,

and at the Sametime plunger 2 1 forces it to the right (as seenin Fig.2). Thus the oam-noselS and the cam-'lug or boss 2l the left, i hile theplungers 13 and' 21 coact in forcing it' upward and to the right'. The

travel of the face of the nut 12jis diagonalg' and. to permit of this,the lower end of its 4dep'endiiigstem .'25 is coned, v preferably atabout A(as at 26),"aiid rests in a seat in the top of spring-pressedplunger 13.

Thepurpose and advantage of imparting the diagonal' movement to thefeed-nut 12, when engaging and disengaging the feedscrew, is shown byreference to i"igs. 4 and 5. If the 'nut be movedldirectly"iipwaid,'the.

relation-shown in Fig. 4 occurs; in this view, lthe slopiiig'faces 270ithe nut 12 rest against the corresponding facesI of the screw 8, while`the vertical faces 28 of the respective threads are not in Contact andvthe screw must make a half revolution or more before it properlyengages the nut to propel it. As the res'ult the-cylindert vis beingrotated, and the recorder or reproducer is acting upon it without beingimmediately propelled longitudinally as it should be. The disadvantageof this will be appreciated by persons familiar with this art. Butwhenthe nut 12 is moved up in a diagonaldirection, as provided by mypresent invention, it at once meshes properly with the Athreadsof tlztlfeed-screw, The plunger 21 provides this diagonal upward movement tocause the proper mesh; and the object of the cam-lug 24 isto restorethe'niit into the position from which it can subsequently receivediagonal upward movement from the plunger 21 (and the plunger 18).

'I have described in v invention with some particularity, but only forthe salte of clearness, since itis not limited to the precise details ofconstruction f. and arrangements veiitioinfwhich consists of providingmeans to insure thatl the feed-nut shall be brought promptly andimmediately finto propermeshing relation with the feed-screw, in or-4tle, and preferably means for 'imparting with the'feed-screv'v havingthreads .with one side thereof verticaland the other side slant- `iiig,and the feed-nut therefor havingl correspondingly-shaped threads,ofstart-and-stop mechanism comprising.means4 for, moving the nutdiagonally in to 4mesh with rthe screw.

ln' a talking-inachine,- tlie combination with the feed-screw havingthreads with one .side thereof vertical and the other side slanting,and-'the feed-nut therefor haring correspondingly-shaped threads, ofstart-and-stop mechanism comprising means for moving the nut diagonallyin disengagingit -from the screw.

3. Ina talking-machine, the combination with the feed-screwhaving-threads with one side thereof vertical and the othersideslanting, and the feed-'hut therefor having correspondingly shapedthreads, of'sta'rt andstop mechanism' comprising means for moving thenut diagonally to throw it into and out of mesh with the screw.

l. In a start-and-stop mechanism for talk# ing-machines, the combinationwith the feed-screw and the feed-nut' and the camring for forcing thesame downward, of a cone-bearing depending from said nut, a.

upward, and a lug on the side of said cani ring co-acting with the sameto move the nut diagonally downward.

5. In a talking-machine, the combination with the feed-screw and thefeed-nut, and

.the cani-ring and plungei'-for engaging and disengaging the two, saidring. extending through a transverse slotv in the upper face of saidnut, of a lug on the side of said cam-ring adapted when entering saidslot to force the 'nut' sidewise, and an opposing spring-pressed plunerbearing a ainst the side of said nut an adapted to' orce it in theopposite direction to that 'imparted by said lug.v "V L i G. In astart-and-stop mechanism for talkingmachines, the combination with the.feed-screw and .the feed-init and means for 'lmp'arting matic' means forimpartinga sidewise movement lto the nut Whilebeing engaged, andautomaticfmeans for imparting a -reverse sidewise movement to the nutwhile being disengaged.

' 7. In a start-and-stop mechanism for talking-machines, thecombination, with the feed-screw .andthe feed-nut and means forengaging-thetwo, of automatic means for a -sidewise movement. totheniitwhile belng engaged.

8. In a start-and-stop mechanism for talking- 1na.chines theycombination with the feed-screw and the feed-nut and means for engagingand disengaging the two, of auto matic'meansfor imparting a sidewisemovement't'o the nut while being disengaged.

9 2 'In @talking-machine, the combinationand adapted when entering saidslot to force the cam-ring for engaging and disenga 'ng the two, said4ring extending throng Aa. .transverse slot in the upper face ofsaid-nut', of -a lng located npon the side' of said ringwith thefeed-screwand the'feed-nutjand 2d '25 'said nut sidewise. 1 0. In a'talking-machine, the combinationwith -the feed-screw', and the feed-nutand means foiengaging and disenga'ging the two, of a spring-pressedplunger adaptedsto bear` against the side 0f Said. nut. 'In testimonywhereof Lhave signed this specification in the presence of'twosubscribing'witnesses. l

THOMAS MACDONALD.

'itnesses; l

L. B.'NICHOLSON, v A. KEOUGH,

